Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review: Ancient Synagogues In Palestine: A Re-Evaluation Nearly A Century After Sukenik’S Schweich Lectures, Andrew Holdaway

Studia Antiqua

Synagogue studies in the holy land have been ongoing for a little over a century, beginning with early 20th-century surveys by German scholars Heinrich Kohl and Carl Watzinger. During that time, theories about their dating and chronology of construction have become cemented in scholarly discourse, shaping how archaeologists and historians interpret Jewish life in antiquity. Jodi Magness’s Ancient Synagogues in Palestine challenges the traditional chronology of the construction of synagogues in Palestine. Beginning with Eleazer Sukenik—a pioneering Israeli archeologist operating in the early twentieth century—archaeologists chronologically dated synagogues in Palestine based on architectural types.

Confidence In The Pompeian Fullo, Tori Nielsen

Studia Antiqua

Many scholars have discussed a curious graffito parodying the Aeneid found outside of a Pompeian fullonica, but few have taken into account its visual and written context. I synthesize previous scholarship and consider additional neighboring graffiti and visual elements in order to more thoroughly reconstruct the ideas conveyed about fullers in this space. The outer wall celebrates fullers in cultural, social, and fulling matters, thus bolstering their community’s confidence in them.

Pheonix Imagery In Early Christian Art, Annie Spach

Studia Antiqua

In Early Christianity, often Christians used popular symbols that would point back to greater truths taught in their new faith. This paper discusses how early Christians followed his council through the use of the imperial representation of the phoenix rather than the common representation, highlighting their belief in resurrection, the majesty of Christ and their hope for eternal life given to all believers, while also speaking to a greater tradition outside of Christianity. The continued use of the phoenix as a symbol of resurrection, renewal, immortality and eternal life in the paradise of God is discussed, as well as the …

Perspectives On Cognitive Psychology In Ktu 1.40: Moral Implications And Prescribed Emotional Responses To Foster Unity, Richard Jarvis Iii

Studia Antiqua

This paper examines the Ugaritic ritual text KTU 1.40 through the framework of cognitive psychology to explore its moral implications and prescribed emotional responses. While earlier scholarship has debated whether this ritual carried moral weight, my analysis demonstrates that it prescribes the removal or amelioration of five moral emotions—disgust, fear, anger, empathy, and a sense of justice—to promote unity within the community of Ugarit. Building on Thomas Kazen’s approach and Gregorio del Olmo Lete’s translation, this study argues that the repeated structure and inclusive nature of KTU 1.40 reflect an intentional effort to bridge emotional divides among the many groups …

Gardens Of Rebirth: Fertility And The Afterlife In The Garden Painting From The Tomb Of Nebamun, Aleeta Day

Studia Antiqua

One of the most important aspects of Egyptian art is the emphasis on the eternal and the afterlife. Aspects of real gardens in ancient Egypt as well as artistic depictions of them reflect these values through the cosmological symbolism of life-giving water and plants frequently cultivated in these gardens. These garden depictions were seen as a way to carry their current lifestyle into the afterlife with them. This paper will discuss the garden painting from the 18th Dynasty tomb of Nebamun located in the Theban necropolis. It will briefly discuss methods of Egyptian painting and the medium by which the …

Structural Framework And Tectonic Implications From Field Investigations In The Ramelau Mountains, Timor-Leste, Tanner A. Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in petroleum exploration off the southern coast of Timor-Leste and emerging mineral discoveries onshore have underscored the need for a more comprehensive structural understanding of the nation's geology. Although new structural models have been proposed for other parts of Timor, limited progress has been made toward developing detailed models for the Ramelau Mountains, which presents the highest structural relief of the Timor Ranges. Previous mapping in this area has been largely reconnaissance in nature and focused primarily on surface bedrock geology. This study presents a new 1:62,500-scale geologic map and a geometric structural analysis of the Ramelau region …

Three Case Studies Of Transformative Learning In A Service-Learning Anthropology Course, Elizabeth S. Schulte

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the processes of personal transformation of three students enrolled in a service-learning based course that I taught at Brigham Young University. Informed by my observations as instructor of the course, in the analysis below I draw upon these students' weekly personal reflection essays to describe the process of individual transformation of these three students across the semester. This accounting provides insight into aspects of and contributing factors to that growth. I propose that a service-learning based course design with a framework of anthropological theory is a good way to facilitate transformational educational experiences. Aspects of service-learning such …

Understanding Asynchronous Learning For Moana Communities By Moana Educators In The Digital Vā, Theresa Pamela Onesemo-Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift from face-to-face learning to an online learning modality for learners globally. Moana (Pacific) communities of all ages were affected by the change due to the existing digital divide that remains an issue today. Research on culturally responsive learning pedagogy for Moana communities prior to the pandemic focused on in-person experiences. Navigating the vā (the relational space between all things) to engage with Moana communities was difficult for teachers during pandemic lockdowns. Online learning in Moana communities is an emerging field of research and has typically focused on synchronous learning. Instead, in my research …

A Systematic Study Of Passkey User Experience Consistency, Bernhardt Ramat

Theses and Dissertations

Passkeys have emerged as a more secure authentication method than passwords, providing a passwordless alternative resistant to phishing and credential theft attacks. Despite their growing adoption, a systematic study into the user experience of passkeys across various websites has yet to be conducted. Usability heuristics suggest that users transfer their expectations from one product to another, and therefore, inconsistencies in passkey deployments can increase cognitive load, resulting in frustration and possible rejection. To address this knowledge gap, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the external functional consistency of the passkey user experience across 111 websites. Our research reveals that …

The Role Of Dust Inputs And Sediment Phosphorus Diffusion Into Utah Lake, Utah, United States Of America, Kristen E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Human activities have led to excessive nutrient enrichment which is greater than lake systems can naturally assimilate. This process is known as eutrophication and it is driving significant algae growth resulting in the more common release of harmful toxins. Utah Lake, located in Utah County, UT is one such water body that even after major reductions in anthropogenic phosphorus influent, continues to experience frequent, harmful algal blooms. The extent to which natural processes, like atmospheric dust deposition and sediment recycling, contribute to the lake's phosphorus budget is still poorly understood.

To address this gap of knowledge, this study quantified phosphorus …

An Analysis Of Ukrainians' Language Attitudes And Ideology: A Conflict-Catalyzed Language And Identity Shift, Kateryna Kravchenko

Theses and Dissertations

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. According to Vladimir Putin's speech, the main goal of the war was to protect the Russian-speaking population of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Many Ukrainians indeed speak Russian on a daily basis, largely due to the long and complicated history between the two countries. Recently, there has been an increase in pro-Ukrainian ideologies (Kulyk 2016); however, as the full-scale invasion began, people started advocating for Ukrainian usage in all public domains, and many even vowed to never speak Russian again. Since then, there has been a profound change in language …

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Enhancing Silicon Sampling In Large Language Models: Fine-Tuning Techniques Using Survey Data, Davis P. Forster

Theses and Dissertations

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used to simulate responses of human demographic groups, a task known as silicon sampling. This paper investigates whether supervised fine-tuning can improve algorithmic fidelity in such settings. We construct a dataset from the General Social Survey (GSS), converting demographic attributes into natural-language backstories and randomly selecting one attribute as a held-out target. Fine-tuning a LLaMA-3.1-70B model on this dataset yields significant improvements on two tasks: (1) imputing missing attributes at the individual level, and (2) reproducing response distributions for demographic slices, such as racial and age groups. Notably, these improvements are achieved with minimal …

Enfrentando El Patriarcado: La Voz, El Espacio Femenino Y Lo Sobrenatural En Mexican Gothic De Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Raquel Macias Del Valle

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the crossroads of gender, space, and the supernatural in Mexican Gothic (2020) by Silvia Moreno–Garcia, examining how the novel challenges patriarchal structures through its protagonist, Noemí Taboada. Utilizing feminist theory, spatial analysis, and studies on the supernatural, this research demonstrates how Moreno–Garcia constructs a narrative in which female expression and connection are central to reinstating the feminine self as a subject. The novel presents High Place, the ancestral mansion of the Doyle family, as a space that embodies patriarchal control. Drawing on Gastón Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space and Marc Olivier’s Household Horror, this study examines how …

Using Rhizobia Seed Coatings And Soil Amendments To Combat Herbicide Toxicity For Native Legume Establishment, Ryan Matthew Glover

Theses and Dissertations

Dryland ecosystems face widespread degradation from historical mismanagement, climate change, and invasive species proliferation. Although herbicides effectively control invasive annual weeds, they often suppress the establishment of desirable perennial species, limiting restoration success. Legumes enhanced with rhizobia inoculants offer a promising approach to overcome these challenges by facilitating nitrogen fixation, improving soil microbial communities, and potentially mitigating herbicide stress. We conducted paired greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate whether rhizobia seed coatings improve the establishment of three legume species Astragalus cicer (Cicer Milkvetch), Onobrychis viciifolia (Sainfoin), and Medicago sativa (Alfalfa), in soils treated with imazapic and glyphosate. In the greenhouse, …

Evaluating The Performance Of The Primary Heat Exchanger In A Sco2 Brayton Cycle While Firing Solid Fuels, Brian Jeffrey Schooff

Theses and Dissertations

The sCO2 closed-loop Brayton cycle is an alternative to the standard steam-Rankine cycle for generating electrical power from a heat source. The sCO2 Brayton cycle is advantageous because it can be more efficient, use less water, and have smaller turbomachinery than the steam-Rankine cycle. While there are several research groups advancing the technology necessary to utilize the sCO2 Brayton cycle on an industrial scale, none of these groups use solid fuel combustion as the heat source. A Brigham Young University-led project developed and tested a pilot-scale sCO2 Brayton cycle unit (1.6 MWth) using natural gas, pulverized coal, and pulverized biomass …

Programmable Acoustofluidic Engineering For Creating Gradient Biomaterials, Jujing Lu, Ye He, Jianping Xia, Mingyuan Liu, Joseph Rich, Ke Jin, Ruoyu Zhong, Kaichun Yang, Jiao Qian, Ying Chen, Ke Li, Zhiteng Ma, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Gradient biomaterials that exhibit spatially varying physical, chemical, or biological properties can be used in various applications such as tissue engineering, organoid development, mechanobiology, and spatially controlled drug delivery. However, current fabrication methods often suffer from limited gradient precision, restricted material compatibility, and poor reproducibility. Here, we introduced gradient regulation via acoustofluidic dynamic engineering (GRADE), a programmable system to generate high-fidelity gradient biomaterials across different material systems. By incorporating focused interdigital transducers with the pulsed surface acoustic wave actuation, GRADE can achieve tunable and directional acoustic streaming (0 to 22 millimeters per second), which allows accurate regulation of the gradient …

Enabling Constraints In Artmaking: Developing Creative Confidence Through Discarded Materials, Lydia Romney Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

This design-based research thesis explores the possibility of fostering creative confidence in students and examines how a project-based curriculum can help them rediscover their artistic abilities. It investigates two guiding questions: How does working with repurposed materials shape students' artmaking, creative confidence and sense of ownership in their artwork? And, in what ways do enabling constraints serve as a catalyst for student engagement? As a teacher-researcher, I designed and implemented a quarter-long curriculum in which 21 junior high students were challenged to create a collaborative public art installation using only discarded materials. The methodology blended qualitative and quantitative data, including …

Cavitation On Superhydrophobic Propellers, John Tyson Danby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of superhydrophobic (SH) surface treatments on the cavitation behavior of small-scale marine propellers. Cavitation, the formation of vapor cavities in liquid due to local pressure reductions, can lead to efficiency losses, noise, and structural damage in marine propulsion systems. Although SH surfaces have shown promise in reducing drag and altering nucleation behavior in static or low-speed flow contexts, their effect on cavitation onset in rapidly rotating propellers remains underexplored. To address this, eight 1-inch aluminum propellers were tested, including variations in pitch, solidity, and blade number. Each design was produced in two versions: one treated …

Validation Of A Mesh-Based Computational Fluid Dynamics Model, The Generataion Of Reference Wake Mixing Data, And A Preliminary Comparison To A Lagrangian Vortex Based Model, Justin Don Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Three things are accomplished in this work. First, a verified wind turbine model is developed for both turbulent and non-turbulent flows. The verified model is created using AMR-Wind, a mesh-based CFD solver which uses an actuator line model to represent the turbine blades. Second, a database of turbine forces and wake data is compiled using the verified wake model. This data is collected for simulations of two turbines operating in close proximity to one another in various configurations. When the wake of one turbine interacts with another, wake mixing occurs. Wake mixing affects turbine performance and is important for predicting …

Enhancing Fuel Performance Of Molten Salt Reactors Through Improved Thermophysical Property Data, High-Fidelity Simulation, And Advanced Control Strategies, Jackson Seth Ivory

Theses and Dissertations

The deployment of molten salt reactors (MSRs) as next-generation nuclear technology requires accurate thermophysical property data, validated system models, and advanced control strategies to ensure safe and economically competitive operation. This dissertation, Enhancing Fuel Performance of Molten Salt Reactors Through Improved Thermophysical Property Data, High-Fidelity Simulation, and Advanced Control Strategies, integrates experimental measurements, thermal hydraulic simulation, and model predictive control (MPC) to enhance understanding of MSR fuel behavior under steady state and transient conditions. New density and heat capacity measurements of UF4-FLiNaK molten salts were obtained using Archimedean and differential scanning calorimetry methods, respectively, to address critical gaps for fueled …

Utah Lake From Space: Analysis Of Sentinel 2 And Modis Data Shows Spatiotemporal Trends And Patterns In Chlorophyll-A, Turbidity, And Temperature, Kaylee Brook Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a serious and growing risk to waterbodies around the world. Excessive algal growth, especially when it involves cyanobacteria, impairs the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and threatens the health of humans and animals using the water. There is currently great interest in developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies for these blooms, particularly in ecologically and economically vital freshwater lakes. Such development, however, requires detailed understanding of HAB drivers and dynamics, which can be highly complex and difficult to characterize. High-frequency, high-resolution imagery from earth observation satellites provides spatially and temporally comprehensive data on global lakes--data which …

Modeling Network Growth Via Generalized Isospectral Reductions, David Thomas Litster

Theses and Dissertations

Many real-world networks also exhibit a variety of symmetries. In this thesis we study equitable partitions and isospectral reductions, both of which are generalizations of symmetries. We formalize the relationship between these two types of generalized symmetry through the study of invariant subspaces. We then use recent results about the presence of equitable partitions in real-world networks to develop a network growth model that introduces similar structures, thereby introducing symmetries similar to those in real world networks.

Intrinsic Stability Of Controlled Systems Via Gershgorin-Type Estimates, David Friedbaum

Theses and Dissertations

Time delays are an inherent feature of real-world dynamical systems, arising whenever information, matter, or energy requires non-negligible time to propagate. Even small delays can destabilize systems that are otherwise well behaved, yet most standard control designs--such as PID or LQR--do not explicitly account for them and may fail when delays are present. This thesis investigates the stability of controlled dynamical systems subject to arbitrary time delays and develops new tools to determine when such systems remain stable. Our approach builds on the notion of intrinsic stability, a strong form of global stability introduced by Webb and Bunimovich, which guaranties …

Characterizing Temperature-Dependent Properties Of Fat For Improving High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Simulations, Brian Easthope

Theses and Dissertations

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a non-invasive therapeutic technique that relies on the precise delivery of acoustic energy to ablate diseased tissue. The presence of subcutaneous fat can significantly alter focal accuracy and treatment efficiency due to its distinct thermal and acoustic behavior. This study characterized the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity, acoustic attenuation, and acoustic velocity of human subcutaneous fat to improve pretreatment modeling for HIFU therapies. Measurements were performed using a dual needle probe for thermal conductivity and diffusivity, differential scanning calorimetry for specific heat capacity, radiation force balance for attenuation, and through-transmission methods for …

Game-Theoretically Optimal Strategies In Baseball, William Michael Melville

Theses and Dissertations

Baseball players and their managers make numerous decisions that can have a significant effect on the result of the game. The effectiveness of their decision-making strategies depend on the strategies played by their opponents. For example, throwing a first-pitch fastball down the middle is a good strategy against a hitter who always takes the first pitch, but it is a risky strategy against a hitter who likes to swing at the first pitch and who is good at hitting fastballs. Additionally, any payoff a player receives from playing a strategy comes at the expense of their opponent. A batter cannot …

Play-Based Assessment Of The Cardinal Principle, Allyssa Sonnefeld Leavitt

Theses and Dissertations

Gelman and Gallistel (1986) determined five counting principles that are essential for successful counting, including the cardinal principle where children understand that the last number counted represents the quantity of a set of objects. The traditional How many? task and the Give-n task are the most common tasks that have been used to assess whether children understand the cardinal principle. However, many researchers claim that these tasks either overestimate or underestimate children's understanding of the cardinal principle. Some researchers (Baroody & Pellegrino, 2023) suggest that embedding the traditional How many? task in a game may improve its validity. In this …

Windkessel Parameter Estimation For Cardiovascular Feature Identification In Photoplethysmography Data, Calvin Boyce

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Features of cardiovascular health such as blood pressure, cardiac output, arterial compliance, and blood viscosity are important in evaluating heart health and disease risk, but are currently largely measured invasively and therefore only in critical settings. Here we explore the potential for Windkessel models to extract cardiovascular features from photoplethysmography (PPG) data in an attempt to evaluate heart health non-invasively. We show the capacity of a constrained Newton's method optimization scheme to estimate parameters and explore the tractability of the resulting parameters. While Newton's method is able to produce parameters that closely approximate PPG data, we found that using a …

Listening To Life In A Noisy World: The Pitfalls And Promise Of Urban Acoustic Ecology, Leah O'Barr

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the application of soundscape ecology principles to urban settings. Soundscape ecology is the study of the entire sonic makeup of a community, composed of biophony (biological sound), geophony (environmental sound), and anthrophony (human-generated sound). By examining the changes in and qualities of the soundscape, researchers can gain information about the biological makeup and ecological quality of an area, and the temporal and spatial distribution of resident species. Recent technological advances in recording equipment and machine learning methods are making soundscape ecology an increasingly relevant and practical tool.

Applying soundscape ecology methods to urban ecosystems introduces unique challenges, …

Teaching And Learning In Envisioning Byu, Volume 1: Foundations And Dreams: A Latter-Day Saint University Educative Perspective, Nicholas P. Bown

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis outlines the principles of teaching and learning found within Envisioning BYU, Volume 1: Foundations and Dreams, a collection of foundational texts on education at Brigham Young University (BYU). In doing so, this thesis addresses a gap in internal university discourse about how to apply “gospel methodology” to teaching and learning at BYU. This study aims to elucidate these principles based on the assumption they may be of philosophical and practical value within BYU, as well as higher education more generally. In order to identify the salient teaching and learning principles found within Foundations, I conducted a qualitative textual …